Vision Therapy

What Is Vision Therapy?

Vision therapy is a doctor-supervised, non-surgical and customized program of visual activities designed to correct certain vision problems and/or improve visual skills.

Unlike eyeglasses and contact lenses, which simply compensate for vision problems, or eye surgery that alters the anatomy of the eyeor surrounding muscles, vision therapy aims to "teach" the visual system to correct itself.

Vision therapy is like physical therapy for the visual system, including the eyes and the parts of the brain that control vision.

Vision therapy can include the use of lenses, prisms, filters, computerized visual activities and non-computerized viewing instruments. Non-medical "tools," such as balance boards, metronomes and other devices can also play an important role in a customized vision therapy program.

It is important to note that vision therapy is not defined by a simple list of tools and techniques. Successful vision therapy outcomes are achieved through a therapeutic process that depends on the active engagement of the prescribing doctor, the vision therapist, the patient and (in the case of children) their parents.

Overall, the goal of vision therapy is to treat vision problems that cannot be treated successfully with eyeglasses, contact lenses and/or surgery alone, and help people achieve clear, comfortable binocular vision.

Many studies have shown that vision therapy can correct vision problems that interfere with efficient reading among schoolchildren. It also can help reduce eye strain and other symptoms of computer vision syndrome experienced by many children and adults. See below for more on conditions treated with vision therapy.

Orthoptics and Vision Therapy

Another name often associated with vision therapy is "orthoptics." This term, which literally means "straightening the eyes," dates back to the 1850s and is limited to techniques for training eye muscles for the purpose of cosmetically straightening eyes that are misaligned due to strabismus.

Orthoptics can be very successful and is one type of vision training, but the term "orthoptics" is not synonymous with "vision therapy," which describes a broader range of techniques used to treat a wider variety of vision problems.

Also, whereas the emphasis in orthoptics is on eye muscles and eye alignment (at least cosmetically), the goal of vision therapy is to optimize the entire visual system, including the eyes and areas of the brain that control vision, visual perception and other vision-related functions. By treating the entire visual system, vision therapy aims to change reflexive (automatic) behaviors to produce a lasting cure.

In many cases of strabismus, vision therapy can be a better treatment choice than surgery. In other cases, it can be a beneficial adjunct therapy before and after surgery to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Can you fix a lazy eye?

First of all, what is lazy eye?

The medical term for lazy eye is Amblyopia. Amblyopia (lazy eye) results from the lack of development of clear vision in one or both eyes for reasons other than an eye health problem that cannot be improved with glasses alone.

"Lazy eye' happens when one eye is affected more than the other, due to the fact that one eye sees more clearly than the other. This clearer-seeing eye ends up performing much of the work of seeing, which what ends up giving the moniker 'lazy to the other eye.

Vision Therapy offers higher cure rates for lazy eye in comparison with eye surgery, glasses, and/or patching, without therapy. Vision Therapy works on lazy eye by training the brain to process information from each eye as equally as possible, and then train to get both eyes to work together as a team.

Signs that your child may need vision therapy

The most common symptoms of vision problems that may be affecting your child, and that could limit his or her ability to perform well reading and in school are:

Does it take them a long time to do homework?

Does your child confuse letters such as ‘b’ as ‘d’ while reading or writing?

Does your child have less than average reading/writing/spelling ability?

Are they constantly re-reading or skipping of lines when reading?

Does your child have a Short attention span when doing schoolwork?

Do they experience blurry vision and or headaches?

Does your child have a high degree of frustration with schoolwork?

Do they experience strange mood swings?

As a parent, if your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, you may want to look into an early developmental optometric diagnosis.

After a thorough evaluation of such symptoms, at Miller Vision Specialists, we will be able to confirm whether or not the symptoms your child is experiencing may need vision therapy.

Good vision is crucial for your child’s success in life. As a responsible parent, YOU have an equally important role to play and make that happen.